10 List: Overlooked films

Maria Bello, Alec Baldwin,William H. Macy in The Cooler

Eight years after its theatrical release and six months after borrowing my DVD, B. sat down to watch Amelie for the first time. As I had hoped, she really enjoyed the film and asked what other 'gems' she had missed. Not everyone has time to see movies, and so many awful movies are out there that it's not surprising attendance continues to drop. Chicago Sun Times film critic Roger Ebert hosts an annual film festival in Champaign, Illinois for which he selects films that in his opinion are excellent, but have been overlooked by the public or by film distribution companies. Of course, that doesn't describe Amelie, which was an international success and won many awards. To create a list of just 10 overlooked films is daunting, so I chose titles that aren't so noble as they are unusual, distinctly well written, and can easily hold up to repeat viewing.

10 films too many viewers have missed:

2003- The Cooler

William H. Macy plays a Las Vegas loser who is SO unlucky he is paid by a casino to 'cool' winning tables just by standing next to them. Alec Baldwin is excellent as the old-school casino owner who is completely comfortable with the unsavory, dangerous types that bring him their business. Macy is interesting in every film he's in, but especially so in The Cooler.

1973-The Long Goodbye

Elliot Gould plays a modern version of detective Philip Marlowe who investigates a Hollywood murder, and discovers there are many degrees of corruption. Directed by Robert Altman in his trademark loose style, with Gould shuffling and mumbling in nearly every scene, this one is strangely hypnotic.

2005-Everything is Illuminated

The debut of Liev Schreiber as director and screenwriter follows a young American Jewish man as he travels to the Ukraine to find the woman who saved his grandfather during the Holocaust. What is intended to be a meaningful quest, becomes memorable when unexpected events and oddball characters divert his plans.



2001-Frailty

Bill Paxton’s directorial debut features Matthew McConaughey as Fenton Meiks who confesses to agent Doyle (played by Powers Boothe) that his father was commanded by God to kill demons disguised in human form. As Doyle digs deeper, he uncovers disturbing details. McConaughey is so good, you may wonder if he's the same guy in all those schmaltzy romantic comedies. (Yikes! He is!)



1982-The King of Comedy

A dark satire from Martin Scorcese, woefully considered one of his worst efforts. Robert De Niro plays a wormy, socially awkward wannabe comic so desperate to appear on a Tonight Showesque program, he hatches a plot to kidnap the Johnny Carsonesque host played most chillingly by Jerry Lewis. Scenes of De Niro as Rupert Pupkin attempting stand up will make you squirm with discomfort.


1946-La Belle Et La Bête

From the artist/author/film maker Jean Cocteau, an extraordinary film of the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. Made during WW2 with little money and virtually no materials due to severe rationing constraints, Cocteau is somehow able to
create the Beast’s magical castle that is 'alive' to serve Beauty. Unforgettable! Personally, it kicked that yellow frocked version by Disney to the curb.




1977-The Duelists

Set during the Napoleonic era, Ridley Scott's first feature stars Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel who duel intermittently over a period of 14 years. Based on a Joseph Conrad short story, a different take on the power of obsession and tradition. I know, Keitel in any period or place outside of contemporary New York is delightfully unexpected.




1951-Ace in the Hole

Over his stellar career, Billy Wilder directed 14 actors in Academy Award winning performances. Whether he wrote or directed drama or comedy, the end result was polished and mesmerizing. Ace in the Hole, which he wrote and directed, enraged many critics when it was released as the story took a cynical jab at both politics and journalism. Kirk Douglas plays a cutthroat journalist covering the story of a man trapped in a collapsed cave. He manipulates and slows the rescue of the man to best serve his unscrupulous ambition without any thought to the victim's survival. A pessimistic, gritty film with remarkable performances.


1988-Grave of Fireflies

War as it is experienced by children is not new to film. The animated film Grave of Fireflies tells the story of two orphaned children and the aftermath of the firebombing of Kobe, Japan. At first the viewer might question the choice of animation to tell such a heart wrenching, profound story. I think it was a shrewd choice because it communicates directly to our inner child and our remaining innocence in an organic and immediate way, while also providing a certain protective distance. The lush animation was created by Studio Ghibli.



1952- Ikiru

Akira Kurosawa's tender film about a dying bureaucrat who finds redemption in his final days is highly regarded among critics. Still, it seems completely overshadowed by Ran and The Seven Samurai, which are undoubtedly brilliant, but this quiet tale has great resonance too.